I have a hierarchy of preferred forms of communication.  Supremely, if at all possible, I favor meeting an interlocutor face-to-face, but with friends and family members scattered across the planet, if I solely communicated when in one’s presence, I fear I would rarely converse with him.  Therefore the hierarchy begins: first with FaceTime (which is almost like being together), then a phone call (a steadfast option), then letter writing (something I am enamored with), and finally, as either a last resort or an exceedingly convenient option, a text message.

When one communicates to his interlocutor face-to-face, he listens to another’s tone of voice, observes body language, and deciphers sensory signals he would be unable to identify in a simple text message.  A phone call, however, removes the element of one’s body language from the listener’s perception, but the listener may acutely listen for his interlocutor’s tone of voice to further interpret his demeanor; however, some interlocutors master the art of concealing emotion from their voice in order that his listener inaccurately perceives his sentiments.  Written communication leaves interlocutors with little sensory interpretation, thus I place letter writing above texting; in a letter, one has a larger platform to expound the subject matter and may earnestly articulate his words.  One’s text often must be brief and concise and this often hinders one’s ability to thoroughly and/or properly explain his message.

While I prefer Face-Time over all forms of distant communication, I appreciate the convenience of a traditional phone call.  Because calls may be made without a Wi-Fi connection, they effectively allow sensory communication between interlocutors.  Oral communication allows one to clarify in a way that written cannot: people interpret written communication unreliably, while one can explicate his message copiously in oral communication.